According to a news release, the fun will begin with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 3 p.m. Friday, during which the company will present a $1,000 check to YWCA of Oklahoma City. And for all us techie parents, at 5 p.m., the store will unveil the new iPad 2. 

Festivities will continue from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the store’s Kids’ Day, with FREE family activities, such as face-painting, a moon bounce, complimentary tacos from Big Truck Tacos (YUM!!) and prize giveaways.

“The focus is around family and getting the children involved,” said Michael Perry, Quail Springs store manager.  

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

My favorite is their Christmas Wonderland. They pack December full of free crafts, fun displays, games and a FREE studio-quality 4 X 6 photo with Santa.  So skip the expensive mall Santa photos and head down to Bass Pro.

Crafts are Tuesdays through Thursdays, 5 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays noon to 5 p.m. (while supplies last) and include:

Nov. 30 – Dec. 2, 4 & 5:  Snowman Suncatcher ornament
Dec. 7 – 9, 11 & 12: Wooden ornaments
Dec. 14 – 16, 18 & 19: Reindeer ornaments
Dec. 21-23: Cookie decorating

From now through Dec. 12, Santa photos are  5 to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

From Dec. 13 to Dec. 24, photo hours are extended to 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays and Christmas Eve.

All games and activities are available during store hours.  These include toy trains, slot car racing, laser and soft gun arcades, remote control trucks and video games.

Also, this year, Bass Pro is giving away free “Santa Bandz” to the first 150 children on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 7 p.m.  Bandz are different each week.

For more information about Santa’s Wonderland, click here.

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

Workshops include:

Enhancing Language and Literacy Skills in Young Children
(for parents, caregivers of children from birth to age 5)
All three workshops are 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 16 – Midwest City Library
Nov. 23 – Village Library
Nov. 30 – Choctaw Library

Temper, Temper! Handling Tantrums
Both workshops are 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 9 – Midwest City Library
Nov. 16 – Village Library

Mealtime Hassles
Both workshops are 3:30 to 5 p.m.
Nov. 9 – Warr Acres Library
Nov. 17 – Edmond Library

Lullaby & Goodnight
10:30 a.m. to noon on Dec. 3 – Warr Acres Library
3 to 5 p.m. on Dec. 15 – Edmond Library

Boosting Your Child’s Brain Power
3:30 to 5 p.m. on Dec. 21 – Ralph Ellison Library

Child Guidance Services also offers screenings in speech, language, development and health.  Call 425-4412 to schedule a screening.  For more information go to www.occhd.org.

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

Photo provided by Cici's Pizza

Need a neat way to encourage your children to be polite?  How about free pizza? 

From now until Nov. 31, Cici’s Pizza restaurants will be stocked with “Thank you” trackers for parents to take home (see below). They can note each time their child says “thank you” without being prodded.  Once they get 10 thank yous, you can bring the card in for a FREE buffet for children age 10 and younger (with the purchase of an adult buffet). And what kid doesn’t like pizza buffets? 

Cici’s fans also can send their own thank you note on Cici’s Pizza’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/cicis and the recipient will receive a “Two can dine for $9.99″ deal, including buffet and drinks.  Recipients can be anyone – teachers, military personnel, friends, etc.

“At Cici’s, we believe an environment that fosters kindness and appreciation is as essential to our success as our hot, fresh buffet,” CEO Mike Shumsky said in a news release. “… it’s why we created the ‘Thank yous Count’ campaign.”

Some locations may even have giant thank you cards or posters for patrons to sign.  These cards will be delivered along with dinners to community groups throughout November.

And with your kids earning a free meal, you may just end up telling them ‘Thank you’ for being so polite.

 -Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

• Just for signing up, you get 30% off the list price on any one kids’ book or toy.
• For every $100 you spend on kids’ stuff online and in stores, you get a $5 reward.
• Get a free cupcake (yum!) from the B&N cafe AND a free Tikatok create-a-book project for your children’s birthdays.
• Receive a monthly newsletter featuring even more savings.

To join, just visit any Barnes & Noble or go to bn.com/kidsclub.

Happy reading!

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

If you’re a sort-of country dweller like me, you don’t really have a good reliable neighborhood to trick-or-treat in this year.  So how do you make the most of Halloween when you can’t do the traditional door-to-door candy quest?  Here are some really great (and I’ve been to most of these) activities in the metro you can do with your kids this week to get in the spooky spirit:

 Haunt the Zoo:  We go every year.  You can’t beat the Oklahoma City Zoo for Halloween.  You won’t see animals, but you will see folks standing along a pumpkin-lined path handing out some yummy treats.  Neat displays are set up along the way, perfect for pictures.  Haunt the Zoo is 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. starting tonight and ending Sunday. Tickets are only necessary for the kids, and they’re $7 each.  Click here for more information.

Storybook Forest:  Spring Creek Park at Edmond’s Arcadia Lake turns into a book of fairytales as kids can walk through a forest of stories.  Characters and scenes from children’s favorite books are brought to life, along with treats, hayrides, carnival games and a campfire for roasting hot dogs and marshmallows.  Storybook Forest is open 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. daily through Sunday. Admission is $5 per child during the week, $7 on the weekend. Adults are free.  Click here for more information.

Halloween Train Ride at the Oklahoma Railway Museum is a real train ride for kids wearing their costumes.  Departure times Saturday are 10 and 11 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for age 15 and older, $5 for ages 3 to 14, and kids younger than 3 are free. Click here for more information.

Haunt the Harn at the Harn Homestead. Includes trick-or-treating, hayrides and more.  Event is Thursday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 for nonmembers, free for members.  Click here for more information.

The Metropolitan Library System also has a list of free events this week:

• Bethany Library: 10  to 10:45 a.m. on Thursday is ”Halloween Fun for Little Ones” for ages 3 to 6. From 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday, it’s hosting “Spooky Spook Halloween” for grades 1 to 5.
• Capitol Hill Library: From 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday is “Halloween @ the Haunted Hill” for all ages.
• Downtown Library: From 1:30 to 5:40 p.m. Sunday is  the “Classic  Horror Film Marathon” for all ages.
• Ralph Ellison Library: “Pumpkin Carving for Teens” is 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesday.  The library’s fall festival is noon to 4 p.m. Saturday for all ages.
• Warr Acres Library: “Dress Up Party for Preschoolers” is tonight from 6:30 to 7:30.  Kids should be in costume.

Be sure to check wimgo.com for more Halloween event listings and have a great, safe week!

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

Septemberfest

• When: Sept. 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Where: Governor’s Mansion and Oklahoma History Center (Click here for map)
• What:  A free, fun, family-friendly, and hands-on event. Visitors get free admission to the museum all day long.  The governor and first lady will read stories to children. There also will be dancing, entertainment, puppet shows, inflatables, clowns, face painting and much, much more.
• For a full description and schedule of events, click here.

Pass it on Kids

• When: Sept. 10 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sept. 11 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Where: Church of the Harvest, located between 33rd and 15th streets off Western Avenue in Edmond.
• What: A consignment sale for fall and winter’s kids’ clothing.  Half-price on select items on Sept. 11.
• For more information, go to www.passitonkids.com

34th annual Western Days

• When:  Sept. 10-11
• Where: Downtown Mustang
• What: A festival including a carnival, rodeo, parade, magic show, music, car show and more.
• For more information, click here or call 376-2758.

103rd annual Cleveland County Free Fair

• When: Now through Sept. 11
• Where: Cleveland County Fairgrounds, E Robinson St., Norman
• What: A fair that has animals, a petting zoo, carnival rides, a midway, celebrity cow milking and much more.
• For more information, click here.

Oktoberfest

• When: Now through Sept. 11
• Where: Choctaw’s Creek Park
• What: German food and goods, live entertainment for all ages, dancing, crafts and activities for kids.  Admission is $3 for age 12 and older. Kids younger than 12 are free.
• For more information, go to www.choctawfestival.org or call 390-8647.

If you know of any other great family-friendly events this weekend or coming up, please post them below or e-mail me. 

Have a great weekend!

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

Saturday, Sept. 4

9:00 a.m. - Bird Walk.  Call 321-4633 or e-mail crowssecret@sbcglobal.net for details or to sign up.

11:00 a.m. -Birds of Lake Thunderbird.  Enjoy a slide presentation of birds that live around the lake.

1:00 p.m. - Animal Clay Sculpture.  Sculpt an animal out of clay.  Ages 4 and older.  $1.00 fee.  Call or e-mail for a reservation.

2:30 p.m. -Oklahoma Reptiles: Snakes and Lizards. Learn about these reptile groups and meet the nature center’s “resident representatives.”  All ages.

3:30 p.m. - Oklahoma Turtles. Meet seven kinds of turtles and watch some of them being fed.

Sunday, Sept. 5

1:00 p.m. - Aquatic Insects.  Learn all about what these insects eat, how they breathe, and other facts, at this special presentation.

2:00 p.m. - Plaster Casts.  Make plaster of Paris casts of animal footprints.  Ages 2 and older.  Fee is 50 cents.  Casts require one hour to set.  (This is my son’s personal favorite!)

3:00 p.m. - Aquatic Insects. Repeat of 1:00 p.m. program.

Monday, Sept. 6 (aka Bug Day)

10:00 a.m. - What did that? Kids can become nature detectives and look for clues that insects and small animals leave behind.  Ages 5 and older.

11:00 a.m. - Oklahoma Insects. Learn about insects and see many of the kinds found in our state.  Ages 4 and older.

1:00 p.m.  - Bug Bookmarks. Decorate a one-of-a-kind bookmark.  Fee is 50 cents.  Ages 3 and older.

2:00 p.m. - Aquatic Insects.  See above for description.

3:30 p.m. -  How many legs? Get to Know the Arthropods. Learn about other “bugs” besides insects.  Ages 4 and older.

Discovery Cove Nature Center is located off State Highway 9, almost  one mile down Clear Bay Avenue, almost to the boat ramp, across from Turkey Pass Campground  For more information, call 321-4633 or e-mail crowssecret@sbcglobal.net.

Norman Playgrounds on wimgo

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

As some of you may already know, Barnes & Noble stores host free children’s storytimes on weekend mornings.  (Click here to see a schedule for Oklahoma City stores.)

But did you know that they also offer the storytime experience online?

With Online Storytime, children can hear their favorite books read aloud by authors and even celebrities.  This month, author Judith Viorst reads her story “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.”

Just go to http://www.barnesandnoble.com/storytime/index.asp to have storytime in the comfort of your own home. 

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

I’ve been following the site for about 4 days now, and already have seen great deals.  Free photo books, food samples, free Coke, and many other discounted and free offers.

If you use Facebook, just search for Freebies 4 Mom or go to http://www.facebook.com/Freebies4Mom.  You’ll see the deals updated in your news feed throughout the day.

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com